What should Apple name each of its 2018 iPhone models? [Poll]

Chance Miller | Aug 22 2018 - 4:36 pm PT

We’re likely less than a month away from Apple’s big unveil of its new 2018 iPhone models. While there’s a lot we know about the new devices coming this year, one key mystery is what sort of naming structure Apple plans to use this year.

As we’ve highlighted before, Apple pretty clearly backed itself into a corner by calling its 2017 flagship device the iPhone X, and simultaneously introducing the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8. We’ve talked a lot about what Apple could do this year to make things right thus far.

At the beginning of this year, my colleague Ben Lovejoy proposed an iPhone lineup that was sort of a mix between the existing iPhone line and the iPad line:

iPhone mini (for SE 2)
iPhone (for LCD model)
iPhone Pro (for X successor)
iPhone Plus (for larger model of X successor)

While since then the fate of the iPhone SE 2 has become increasingly unclear, Ben’s proposal is one that makes sense from a consistency standpoint with Apple’s other product lines. There, however, numerous other possibilities for iPhone naming this year.

Apple is expected to introduce three new iPhones as soon as next month: an iterative update over the current iPhone X, a larger ‘Plus’ model of the iPhone X, and a 6.1-inch LCD model with the iPhone X’s design.

For the iPhone X’s iterative update, things are especially unclear. iPhone XS doesn’t make sense as that would imply “extra small” to many people. iPhone XX also goes down a very interesting path, to say the least.

Meanwhile, the larger-screened Plus model naming likely depends on the nomenclature of the 5.8-inch model. For the 6.1-inch LCD model, one of the most common suggestions thus far has been ‘iPhone 9,’ which makes sense seeing as it’s technically an upgrade to the iPhone 8.

Personally, I’d love to see Apple ditch the number scheme altogether this year, much like Ben suggested. What exactly that entails is unclear, but it’s a move Apple made with the iPad that has worked out well, so it makes sense to extend that to the iPhone as well.

What do you think each of this year’s new iPhone models will be called? Let us know down in the comments!